


The Case of the Libertine Belle

by Bondopoulos



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Lilly Kane Lives, lv au week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23271730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bondopoulos/pseuds/Bondopoulos
Summary: Denial is NOT a river in Egypt, and, as usual, only Clarence Wiedman is paying any kind of attention.Canon divergence, CW's POV. Takes place before the day of the carwash.
Comments: 36
Kudos: 41
Collections: LV AU WEEK 2020





	The Case of the Libertine Belle

Since working for the Kane Family, I’ve learned that not only is denial  _ not _ a river in Egypt but that it’s a deluged mixture of entitlement and spoiled rotten that flows directly from Neptune, California to the Pacific Ocean. 

What is it with rich, entitled white people not watching their kids? 

I’m not complaining - I’m paid generously to take care of Kane business. Because obviously, this job is more about keeping the Kane name squeaky clean than it is about actually keeping anything secure. But these people have perfected denial to an absolute art form. I’ve never seen anything like it. And now that I’m  _ clearly _ the one only watching out for their damn kids, I feel like I have to sit around the Kane Compound twenty-four/seven so I know what the hell is going on. 

Take the Golden Boy, Duncan Kane, for example. The kid has some jacked-up form of epilepsy that sends him into tailspins. So not only is no one allowed to upset him, but we all have to walk around pretending like nothing is wrong. And a few weeks ago he was hit with a real doozy. So now I get to quietly watch as his parents medicate the shit out of him. Seems like, with a little communication, this whole Veronica Mars-is-your-sister thing could have been cleared up years ago. But it wasn’t because denial ’round these parts brings with it a healthy dose of avoidant coping. So here we are...waiting for the meds to kick in.

And if the Golden Boy weren’t enough, his older sister, Lilly Kane, has reached whole new heights of recklessness. I seem to be the only one aware that she’s having relations with not only the Echolls boy but also a high-ranking member of a local motorcycle gang, some loser jock from Hearst, and, quite frankly, god knows who else. 

It’s not my place to say, but the poor girl is practically invisible in this house except when they’re threatening to ship her off to some fancy boarding school on the East coast. I suppose farther out of sight means farther out of mind. 

She just marched through the house wearing next to nothing and announced that she was attending a poetry reading before waltzing out the front door. I don’t think Celeste even batted an eyelash. Didn’t even take her damn eyes off the sample menu she was pouring over for the next soiree. Jake nodded silently and took another sip of coffee. Neither actually looked at the girl. It’s not unusual. It’s probably why she doesn’t bother to hide it when she dresses like a streetwalker. 

Poetry reading, my left nut. But my opinion is only valuable in a crisis, and even then it’s barely tolerated. I’m the brawn, not the brain, around here. The hired gun. I’m just glad she made it out before the Echolls kid arrived to visit with Duncan. Surely he’d have noticed her attire—or lack thereof. But, again, it’s not my place. I guess what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him either. 

“Thanks for letting me crash here tonight, DK,” Logan says, crossing over to the fridge and pulling out a carton of milk like he owns the place. 

I continue to mill about, observing half-heartedly, waiting until things wind down and I can head home for the evening. It’d be nice to have a day off every once in a while. It would be fantastic if this family could pull themselves together long enough for me to have a half-day off to see the ocean that’s right down the street. Or my own kid. In fact—

“I can’t stand being home when Mom’s out of town. Dad always develops a sudden interest in the arts. Poetry reading, my ass.”

The Echolls kid’s voice cuts through the wall of silent white noise that’s ever-present in this house. That mixture of abject silence and stony discomfort that I do my best to ignore. His use of almost the same words as I just thought about Lilly catches my ear. I listen as Logan continues his diatribe.

“Like I don’t know that this shit always happens when my mom is up in LA. Like I don’t notice he doesn’t actually leave the house. Like I won’t watch the help change the sheets of the bed in the pool house tomorrow. What-fucking-ever, Aaron.”

_ Wait...what? _ _ Really? Poetry reading! Holy shit. No one else here is putting two and two together? _

My eyes scan the room. Duncan is pretending to be listening to Logan as he picks at something on his shirt. Jake is reading his newspaper. Celeste is still murmuring to herself about a more acceptable name for something that sounds suspiciously like glorified pigs-in-a-blanket. The Echolls kid, obviously used to being ignored, rolls his eyes and begins drinking milk from the carton about ten feet away from me. 

I debate whether or not to bring it up and decide to stay silent.  _ What the hell is the point? _ Though if this got out it would be a PR nightmare for the Kanes. 

_ Fuck! _ I think as I propel myself from where I’m leaning against a counter and stand upright. 

“Lurch is on the move, thank god,” I hear the Echolls boy utter as I pass.  _ So he does notice me. _ “How does that guy not give you the creeps? He’s always...lurking.”

_ Umph _ , I dismiss the comment with a shrug. He’s damn lucky I’m lurking today.

I pass by Jake, not bothering to tell him what’s up. If my suspicions are correct, he will get a call from me soon enough. I unlock my Kane-owned vehicle and slide into the driver’s seat, fastening my seatbelt before I jam the key into the ignition and turn the engine over. 

It looks like another Kane Kid Clean Up is in order. 

_ I’d better let the pediatrician know to up Duncan’s dose _ , I think as I accelerate down the long driveway and pull out onto the road in the direction of the Echolls’ place.  _ Shit is about to get a lot more complicated. _

**Author's Note:**

> And thus, CW breaks up Aaron and Lilly before the tragic ashtray incident. I've considered expanding this...but I need to finish my other story first!
> 
> Happy AU Week. Thanks to marshmellowbobcat for all your help on this! And thanks for putting this collection together with cubbiegirl. So much fun!


End file.
